which is says is one of the most advanced in the world.

The Northern Telecom Meridian 1 system features many benefits, including greater voice quality and clarity, said Mr. Brian Peck, the Bank's assistant manager of Telecommunications.

With the advent of Direct Inward Dialling, customers can now call all Bank staff directly.

"The Bank's primary reason for upgrading at this time was the need for more capacity in terms of memory to install new options and features,'' said Mr.

Peck.

"The ability to service our customers in Bermuda and throughout the globe has now been greatly enhanced.

"We chose Northern Telecom because of its superior features and the opportunity to integrate the Meridian 1 with the facilities of the Bermuda Telephone Company, which also uses Northern Telecom's systems.'' He added: "Communication with our customers is vitally important to the Bank of Bermuda and, with the direct dial feature, we have greatly improved our accessibility.

"The system also simplifies calling overseas and enhances our internal system management.

"It is the best available and serves as a platform for future enhancements for our customers and staff.''